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I was until 2 weeks ago on Epizcom and Sustiva. The nightmare and mood swings were so severe that I had to make a decision to switch. Now Sustiva has been replaced by Reyataz (300mg) and Norvir (100mg), one does daily with Epizcom.

The nightmares immediately stopped! And I felt so much more energized ..

Then 3 nights ago, the first sign of trouble began with amnesia .. no pre-warning as I just stirred awoke at 2am and not being to fall completely asleep. The following day was the onset of extreme tiredness, which of course I thought was normal because I didn't sleep. It should also be noted that after switching I also began to feel muscle pain and tingling.. not close to unbearable but very noticeable.

Then yesterday the tiredness persisted.. I was so deeply aslept on the 2 hours train journey back and forth I almost couldn't get up when the trains arrived. Another worrying sign is thirstiness .. I couldn't stop drinking water. Last night I slept for 12 hours and still not feeling well rested. Beside still feeling consistently thirsty, nausea also set in, almost complete lost of appetite today, and what felt like a low grade fever that came and went the whole day. Also feeling the chills and night sweating like crazy the last 2 nights. The only good thing is that no eyes or skin yellowing.. (well, but being Asian, hard to notice the latter)..

I have already called the clinic and I would need to report come back to see the doctor tomorrow, 2 weeks earlier than scheduled.. so, what to expect? Are these severe reactions?

This is a strong reaction, if it is the switch in drugs. Much of what you describe is listed as a common side effect for combinations including Reyataz . Hard to say it is definitely this though. Good luck tomorrow. Make sure they check your kidneys/urine and blood sugar.

I should see my doctor in a few hours.. but things are getting worse. Again, barely able to sleep last night, and when I woke up I felt like I was hit by a truck. My lower back and joints are hurting.. no appetite, and the most worrying thing is that I think my foots are swollen up a bit. All signs point to some sort of renal issue..

After some initial examinations my doc said my body is probably just adjusting, as there are no outward signs of kidney or liver problems, ... But of course we would need to see the blood tests' results drawn today in 2 weeks, and meanwhile, he told me to drop Norvir for the time being, and instead of taking one pill of 300mg Reyataz with Norvir, he's upped Reyataz to 2 pills of 200mg to see if things get better (then isolate Norvir as the culprit).

So I now have enough 200mg Reyatez, plus Norvir and 300mg Reyataz for the duration (I will need to return the unused pills of course).

The question now is - should I switch to 2 doses of 200mg Reyataz plus Epizcom as recommended, or stick to the old combo of Epizom, Reyataz (300mg) plus Norvir that seems to be causing all these problems and wait to see if it's true that the body is only adjusting...?

Personally I would go the 2 caps route, because, yes this does identify either Norvir or Reyataz as the culprit, if it is the drugs. And if I wasn't getting any better I would so be on the phone pronto.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

Not sure if it's a (reverse) placebo effect or not, or I had indeed unfortunately picked up some stomach bugs or flu or mild food poisoning right in the middle of going through a combo change.. feeling better today after dropping Norvir. Still tired, but then I have not been sleeping and eating well for the last few days, and feeling a bit nausea and dizzy. If the effects of Epizcom + Reyataz (400mg) is more or less the same as Epizcom + Reyataz boosted with Norvir, I will stick to the former for the time being.